Lighters

ABSTRACT

A lighter with a gas burner which comprises a plurality of individual burner orifices, disposed at the corners of an imaginary closed figure, each surrounded by an individual windshield, or a single orifice over which is disposed a windshield of cruciform shape so that the issuing gas stream divides into four parts to give four flames each within the angle defined by two adjacent arms of the windshield. Thus at least one of the flames is masked from the direct effect of strong air currents in one direction.

United States Patent 1191 Malamoud Apr. 30, I974 [54] LIGHTERS 3,580,700 5/1971 I-linckley 431 344 [75] Inventor: Jean Gaston Malamoud, Annecy, FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS France 734,927 10/1943 Gennany 239/601 Assigneez S. T. P Paris, France 661,222 4/1963 Canada 431/291 [22] Filed: sept' 1972 Primary Examiner-Carroll B. Dority, Jr. [21] APPL 291 30 Attorney, Agent, or FirmEric H. Waters [30] Foreign Application Priority Data [57] CT Sept 13, 1971 France 71.32944 A lighter with a gas burner which comprises a plurality of individual burner orifices, disposed at the corners 52 US. Cl. 431/350, 431/344 of an imaginary Closed figure, each Surrounded by an 51 1m. (:1. F23d 13/24 individual Windshield, or a Single Orifice Over which is 58 Field of Search 431/151, 344, 350; disposed a Windshield 9f cruciform Shape so that the 239/238 2883, 2835, 601 issuing gas stream divides into four parts to give four flames each within the angle defined by two adjacent 56] References Cited arms of the windshield. Thus at least one of the flames UNITED STATES PATENTS is masked from the direct effect of strong air currents in one direction. 1,620,071 3/1927 Chappelle 239/2883 3,198,239 8/1965 Webster 431/344 1 Claim, 6 Drawing Figures 1 LIGHTERS The present invention relates to improvements in lighters and more particularly to means intended to protect and stabilize the flame of a compressed gas lighter.

The most conventional means for protecting the flame of a lighter, is to provide the latter with a wind shield. However, known Windshields are always more or less orientated and the protection ensured thereby depends therefore more or less on the orientation of the lighter with respect to the air currents to which the latter is subjected.

This is why it is proposed to stabilize the flame of a lighter by making the burner in'th'e form of a hollow member which has a surrounding and porous peripheral wall so as to obtain a large number of very fine jets of gas. Therefore, whatever the direction of the air current to which the flame is subjected, theoretically there will always be a certain number of jets of gas which are not subjected thereto. However, since the gas pressure is relatively low in a lighter, it is only possible to supply all the passages of the porous wall constituting the burner to the. extent that these passages rigorously cause the same pressure losses. In practice, this is not the case, especially after a certain usage which causes the pores to clog due to residues from combustion and possibly due to the dust from the flint in the case of lighting by means of knurled wheel and flint.

It has also been proposed to discharge the gas through two or more passages so as to be able to obtain, depending on requirements, one or more flames from the same nozzle. But even when there are several flames, each flame is ultimately sensitive to the air currents as one single flame.

As object of the present invention is to remedy these drawbacks by providing the combination of a burner comprising several gas outlets and a multiple windshield protecting each outlet and disposed such that the gas is mixed with the combustive air as soon as it leaves the burner.

An important feature is that the multiple windshield is made in a single piece.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show one embodiment of the invention, FIG. 1 being a plan view and FIG. 2 a view on line II ll of FIG. 1,

FIGS. 3 and 4 show another embodiment, FIG. 3

being a plan view in partial section and FIG. 4 a view on line IV IV of FIG. 3, and

FIGS. 5 and 6 show a third embodiment of the invention, FIG. 5 being a plan view and FIG. 6 being a view on line VI VI of FIG. 5.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, the burner 1 is provided with three gas outlet apertures 2, 3 and 4 and three ring shaped slots 5, 6 and 7. These slots receive three Windshields 8, 9 and 10, each of which protects one of the gas outlets in a different direction, so as to protect at least one flame from any lateral air current whatever the orientation of the lighter.

The mixing of the gas and combustion air takes place as soon as the gas leaves the burner through passages which have been left free between the outer periphery of the burner and the inner wall of each windshield. In this way, the flame begins at the very outlet of the burner.

FIGS. 3 and 4, the burner 11 comprises a single gas outlet aperture 12 in which is secured a windshield 13 in the form of a cross, the four partitions of which engage in four grooves 14, 15, 16 and 17 provided in the burner 11. The windshield 13 comprises, besides the four radial partitions, a solid upper portion 18 extending perpendicular to the axis of the burner.

The windshield 13 has two functions: on the one hand, it divides the aperture 12 of the burner into four small apertures, each of which constitutes a gas outlet and, on the other hand, by means of the four radial partitions and the solid upper portion 18, it protects the four flames leaving the burner, each flame being protected in a different direction.

In FIGS. 5 and 6, the burner 15 also comprises a single gas outlet aperture 19 in which a multiple crossshaped windshield 20 is secured, the four ends of which are fitted in four recesses provided in the burner and which shield, as in the case of FIGS. 3 and 4 has two functions, namely to divide the aperture 19 into four small apertures and to protect, in a different direction, each flame coming from each of these small apertures.

burner or screw it therein.

What is claimed is:

1. In a lighter, a burner having a head having several spaced gas outlets, a ring-shaped slot in said burner head about each gas outlet, a tubular windshield seated in each slot and extending laterally beyond said burner head to form an air inlet at the base of the windshield. 

1. In a lighter, a burner having a head having several spaced gas outlets, a ring-shaped slot in said burner head about each gas outlet, a tubular windshield seated in each slot and extending laterally beyond said burner head to form an air inlet at the base of the windshield. 